Autoline After Hours

This week we’ll use the magic of the Internet to bring a little bit of Oregonian wisdom into our studio. Said wisdom will come from none other than friend of the show, Art Spinella, the President of CNW Research, who will join us via Skype. We’ll be asking Art about the latest gems of automotive insight to be unearthed from his research. We’ll also be getting into the news of the week including the chance that Bob Lutz could be headed back to GM as well as Roger Penske’s smart car debacle. John McElroy is joined in studio by the often imitated, but never duplicated Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we’re back with another episode of Autoline After Hours as well as one our audience’s all-time favorite guests. You asked for it, and now you’ve got it: the irrepressible, always knowledgeable Sandy Munro of Munro and Associates. He’ll tell us about a new material he’s working with called “covetic aluminum,” which could be a major manufacturing breakthrough. We’ll also see how much info we can get out of him about the top secret work he’s doing for Chrysler. But, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of the week’s news to talk about as well. In particular, we’ve got a bone to pick with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who just won’t call unintended acceleration what it really is: driver error. Plus, we’ll get into the huge number of automotive Super Bowl commercials seen on Sunday’s game. Did they hit the mark? John McElroy is joined in studio by Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Production as well as the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week it’s “Home Sweet Home” as the After Hours crew returns to the studio for another outspoken edition of your favorite LIVE webcast. We’re joined by special guest John Waraniak, SEMA’s vice president of vehicle technology. We’ll be asking him if performance cars can survive the CAFE crunch. We’ll also get into the other news of the week including Ford’s plummeting profits, January sales figures and what Dan Akerson is up to at General Motors. John McElroy is joined in studio by Frank Markus of Motor Trend and Mr. Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

In the final installment of our mobile AAH series, we go straight into the belly of the beast: Washington D.C. And, for this special edition John McElroy has gathered a group of newcomers and old friends alike. He’s joined by USA Today Columnist Jayne O’Donnell, Kimatni Rawlins from Automotive Rhythms and our pal from the Wall Street Journal, Columnist Joe White. We’ll be asking this trio about what’s been going on in the automotive world and get their unique Beltway perspective.

This week our AAH on the Road series continues as we go on location to the Chrysler Tech Center where we'll talk with the Vice President of Product Planning, Joe Veltri. We'll be asking him all about Chrysler's barrage of new product and how Chrysler will integrate its platforms with Fiat. We're also curious to know how it is to work with the Italians compared to the Germans. But, we won't be forgetting the news. We're going to talk about some of the managerial shake up going on at GM with Tom Stephens moving out of product planning and Mary Barra stepping in. John McElroy is joined in the Tech Center by the ever-extreme AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we continue to make good use of our LiveU backpack as we go on location to the studio of designer Camilo Pardo who created the Ford GT. We'll be asking him what it was like to design the GT and what else he's been up to. We'll be sure to talk about what we saw at the Detroit auto show and do a bit of a wrap-up as well. John McElroy is joined in Camilo's studio by the one and only AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

What a way to kick off the new year. If there was ever an Autoline After Hours you wanted--nay--needed to catch, this one is it. That's because our guest is the one, the original, the top gun of automotive executives, Bob Lutz! This man has never been one to mince words, but now he's ready to take on American business practices, so watch out. We'll be discussing his new book, his storied history in the auto industry and so much more. Get ready for one very good conversation. John McElroy is joined in studio by the incomparable AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Hard to believe, but this week is actually the Last After Hours of 2010! In the spirit of the season, we decided to play "Secret Santa" and give out presents and lumps of coal in recognition of automotive successes and disasters, respectively. On hand to help us go through our naughty and nice list is David Welch from Bloomberg making his triumphant return to the Autoline set. John McElroy is also joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

We're back in the same place again, and we're chompin' at the bit to get to another great Autoline After Hours. This week we'll be talking about the nominees for North American Car and Truck of the Year. The final six (three cars and three trucks) were announced, and we'll be debating which vehicle deserves to win. We'll also be looking out into the future as we examine the coming cost of CAFE regulations. Of course, there'll be a lot more to talk about, and you never know what will come up in the discussion, so belt yourself in: we're going for a ride. John McElroy is joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

This week while McElroy is out on business, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, takes the wheel as we get into some of the hottest news and most controversial topics. Chevy's Aveo gets renamed the "Sonic" and production comes home to Michigan. Porsche makes its return to the North American International Auto Show, but what will it debut? A new study reveals that Ford and Honda have the most loyal customers and "fun to drive" is becoming a more important buying consideration. Peter is joined in studio by Scott Burgess of The Detroit News and Keith Naughton of Bloomberg News.